I thought we might start a thread where we can post the Christmas 2005 meesages of our bishops.Here is my Bishop's message:

Christmas Message - 2005 by Archbishop Stylianos

S T Y L I A N O S

By the grace of God Archbishop of AustraliaTo all the Clergy and devout faithfulof our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese

Brother concelebrants and beloved children in Christ who is born,

This year, Christmas arrives to find all humanity once again restless, unsatisfied, and troubled in various ways.

It is therefore no exaggeration to say that people do not feel ‘safe’ anywhere today, regardless of which country or region of the earth they live in.

Nor do they feel ‘content’ today, even though our earth has never before known so many and various good things (in food, health, education, development and recreation).

Science and technology now enable us all the possibility of living like ‘small gods’! And yet we can no longer enjoy anything, because it appears that we have not appreciated anything correctly.

We have lost our proper relationship with nature, with our fellow human being and, above all, with God.

As a worldwide community, which has now become ‘one neighbourhood’, we have unfortunately become a single pitiful group who suffer hardships as well as cause them.

As strange as it may sound, nobody can state with certainty who is essentially more pitiful: the victimizers or the victims?

Of course we are informed — and frustrated — about the unbelievable sufferings in the so-called ‘undeveloped world’ (economic devastation, epidemics involving untreatable diseases, and massive death tolls through hunger or natural disasters).

But the tragedy does not stop here!

Even in countries of economic ‘abundance’ and countless ‘luxuries’, perceptive analysts are now recording the alarming proportions of psychosis and paranoia, such that the border between ‘happiness’ and ‘sadness’ seems very blurred indeed.

What, then, is to blame for the universal ‘misfortune’ of the modern world? How can we find some balance in our disturbed ‘relations’?

It is this precise problem — of ‘relationships’ — that the Feasts of the 12 Days of Christmas seek to address in terms of salvation. For they interpret and proclaim the astonishing truth of the Birth of God. And, by extension, the final Re-birth of the human person.

The hymns of Christmas - which are poetic forms of theology written by the greatest hymnographers of the Christian world — assist us to ‘enjoy’ the Mystery of the Birth of God which, amidst the uncertainty of our mortal life, truly sounds like a ‘strange Mystery’.

Perhaps we cannot easily imagine just how ‘paradoxical’ and ‘unbelievable’ are the messages contained in the awe-inspiring melody which informs both believers and non-believers each year that “CHRIST IS BORN”!

However, if we carefully consider that brief confession in the form of a doxology, we will have already prepared our souls to see all things in a totally different light.

To see, in other words, as completely ‘changed’ the world that has tired us. The world that has angered us. The world that has terrorized us.

When we chant “CHRIST IS BORN”, we are confessing one Birth which radically changed the history of the world. A Birth which has united the Earth to the Heavens forever!

For it was not a birth like all others, which begin and finish in time. If that were the case, we would simply say ‘Christ was born’. But we instead say “HE IS BORN”! This signifies

The ‘embrace’ of God, which was opened in Bethlehem through the pure and Ever-Virgin Mary, had, and still has, the pre-eternal purpose of ‘sheltering’ and ‘transfiguring’ every person who comes into the world.

Orthodoxy, remaining faithful to the doctrines and teachings of the Ecumenical Councils, did not accept to ‘monopolize’ God Incarnate for only one people. For one place. For only one language. However, in order for all people and all cultures to ‘fit’ into the boundless Love of the One God, we must all share all goods of this world (be they material, educational or spiritual) like the pieces of ‘Antidoron’.

And the Antidoron (literally meaning ‘instead of the Holy Gifts’, which we receive in the Eucharist) invites all people into a family relationship with ‘common gratitude’.

Only in this way will the paradoxical ‘Birth of God’ be ‘continued’ within each mortal person. That Birth which determines the ‘rebirth of the human person’!

This is at least the official teaching of the Church concerning God Incarnate.

Moreover, this is how the greatest ‘Mystics’ from among the Church Fathers formulated the teaching.

St Maximos the Confessor characteristically said that, according to the example of the Mother of God (Theotokos), every faithful person — whether man or woman — should apply their own personal humility and obedience in order to ‘bear’ God the Word in the flesh, thereby becoming a ‘bearer of Christ’ (Christotokos and Christoforos).

We could not convey a brighter or more comforting ‘message’ today to our inconsolable world, than this most sacred faith, prayer and expectation of becoming ‘God-like by grace’.

To the God of Love, who came as an infant for all people, be glory and worship to the ages!

Christmas 2005

With fervent prayers to God

Archbishop STYLIANOS Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia

Logged

If you're living a happy life as a Christian, you're doing something wrong.

Here's the Christmmas message of Metropolitan Herman of the Orthodox Church in America:

Nativity of Christ 2005

Christ is born! Glorify Him!

To the Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of The Orthodox Church in America

Dearly Beloved in the Lord:

“All the angels in heaven are of good cheer and greatly rejoice today! The whole creation leaps with joy, for the Savior and Lord is born in Bethlehem! Every error of idolatry has ceased, and Christ reigns unto all ages!” Nativity Litiya

As we celebrate the birth of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, we join our voices with those of the angels in praising the One Who took on our human nature in order to renew us and all creation, that we might become “partakers of His divine nature, as Saint Peter reminds us. This is indeed a reason to be “of good cheer” and to “greatly rejoice!”

Yet the world in which we live so often fails to delight in this wonder, this unspeakable joy. Too often, the very mention of Christ and His birth is often surrounded with controversy. There are those who would reduce the pivotal event in mankind’s history to one of many “holidays” to be privately and quietly observed, but never proclaimed. While “Christ reigns unto all ages,” the idolatry which His incarnation erased continues to exist, challenging those who see Him as “the Wonderful Counselor, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” to be all the more fervent in proclaiming that “God is with us” not only with their words, but most importantly, by their actions and deeds.

The ministry of Christ was hardly a private one. He preached to vast throngs of people. He healed the sick in the presence of many. He revealed the fullness of truth to all who would listen and accept His invitation to “come and see.” The message of repentance and forgiveness revealed in His parables and miracles was sealed by the very blood He shed in His very public passion and death. His resurrection, announced to thousands in Jerusalem on the great day of Pentecost and to the whole world in the days that followed, opened the doors to a greater reality — eternal life in the Kingdom.

We recall the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “He came unto His own, yet His own knew Him not.” The Gospel Christ proclaimed was — and still is — surrounded in controversy, precisely because it challenges the “error of idolatry” that insists that this world, and not the world to come, offers all that is necessary, all that is real, all that man needs to attain “fulfillment” and “self actualization.” The earthly cares Christ challenges us to lay aside — beginning with the idolatrous desire to see ourselves rather than God as the center of all things — remain obstacles to discerning His will, to sharing His life, and to partaking of His divine nature.

In today’s world, so burdened with wars, natural disasters, “political correctness,” and an overall lack of loving-kindness, it is easy to succumb to temptation and doubt. It becomes all too easy to focus on earthly cares rather than heavenly delights. The incarnation invites us to look beyond these burdens, to recognize that while we still live in a fallen world, the victorious Kingdom yet to come is already fully present to us in the Church, if only we respond to Christ’s call: “ComeÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦ and I will give you rest.” It is in this light that all the angels of heaven are of good cheer as they announce to mankind that freedom from selfishness and isolation from its Creator has been lovingly granted to all who, fleeing the idolatry of this life, freely seek and accept the gift of eternal life discovered in the fullness of Bethlehem’s cave and, at the same time, in the emptiness of Jerusalem’s tomb.

It is my prayer that this year’s celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord will be filled with the joy that comes when we truly repent, when we truly strive to lay aside the world’s idols and passing concerns, when we discern that Christ indeed “reigns unto all ages.” May we, now and in the year to come, flee from the temptation to bear our burdens without Him. Let us recommit ourselves to embracing His very presence in our midst with renewed zeal and conviction, striving to become the “light of the world” He calls us to be.

With love in the Newborn Lord,

+ HERMAN Archbishop of Washington and New York Metropolitan of All America and Canada

Because of the tender mercies of our God,A sunrise from on high visited us,To give light to those who sit in darknessAnd in the shadow of death,To guide our feet into the way of peace.(Luke 1:78-79)

To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On this glorious celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, I greet you with love in the joy of the Good News that was received on that blessed and holy night by the shepherds of Bethlehem. After announcing the birth of the Son of God, the heavenly hosts filled the dark sky with light, rejoicing and proclaiming, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, good will among men" (Luke 2:14).

On that night in Bethlehem when our Savior entered this world as a human infant born of the Virgin Mary, the favor of God was upon all humankind and upon all of creation. Through the Incarnation, Jesus Christ became like us in every respect, except sin, so that He might know our condition, share in our sufferings, and redeem us from our sins (Hebrews 2:17). Into the darkness and the shadow of death that plagued all of humanity, the radiant "sunrise from on high" (Luke 1:78) broke through and both illuminated and became the path of peace, the way to salvation and eternal life.

As we commemorate the birth of our Lord on this day, we can be assured of the universal significance and relevance of this miraculous event. This is certainly true in terms of our redemption through the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ. But it is also true in terms of the conditions of our world, in times past, present, and future. Into a world that groans under the burden of sin, a world that is filled with the darkness of uncertainty and the shadow of terror and death, our Lord has brought us the peace of God. This coming of this peace was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah who announced that the "Prince of Peace" would establish His rule and an "endless peace" (Isaiah 9:6-7). St. Luke the Evangelist makes reference to the same idea when he speaks about Him who would come in order to "guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:79). It was also this peace that Christ Himself gave to His disciples and to those that would follow in their sacred Apostolic work.

It is this peace of God through Jesus Christ that is needed in our contemporary world. As we witness and experience the devastating effects of violence and suffering, so many people are searching for that peace which transcends the shadow of death and lifts their souls into the light of truth and understanding. So many people are searching for that peace that renews their spirit, gives them hope, and guides them toward greater fulfillment in life. This is why we must be living carriers of the peace of Christ, who through our faith and our love for God and one another, dwells in us. When we are the image of the Prince of Peace, our thoughts, words, deeds, and aspirations will be imbued with His true and enduring peace. Our security and freedom will not be dependent upon or diminished by the violent events and persistent threats that trouble our world; for we will live in the light and peace of the presence of our Incarnate Lord, offering to others His tender mercy and a secure and eternal relationship with Him.

As we gather on this holy Feast and pray to our Lord "for the peace from above" and "for the peace of the whole world," I invite you to open your hearts to His divine presence and allow Him to bring solace to our hearts and minds. We can be assured that the Prince of Peace has entered this world and our human condition, that He is in our midst, and that He is guiding us on a most sure and certain path of eternal peace and life. May His blessings be upon you and your families during this beautiful season, and may your worship and fellowship be filled with His joy throughout the New Year.

http://home.it.net.au/~jgrapsas/pages/epxmas2005.htmFeast of the Nativity of Christ, 2005+B A R T H O L O M E WBy the mercy of God Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch to the plenitude of the Church Grace, peace and mercy from Christ our Saviour, born in Bethlehem.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16)

Beloved Brothers and Sisters, Children in the Lord,

The human soul feels deeply the need to be loved. The widespread sense that life has no meaning, which plagues in particular our young people, is to be blamed on the absence of love. Our fellow human beings are for the most part trapped within their individual pursuits and seek to fill the emptiness caused by the lack of love with the acquisition of material goods, carnal pleasures and fame. However, the soul is only satisfied with personal recognition and love, and not these other things.

For love exists in the Lord and holds the world together, recognizes everyone by their name and is offered generously. God created the universe through His Logos out of love, so that we all may participate in the joy whose source is this unifying personal love.

However, beginning with the first created human being and ending with today’s, humankind, throughout its entire history, has been rejecting the love Creator has offered to them and turned love away from their hearts; instead, they turned to the faceless world and sought unsuccessfully the recognition of their personal existence in the pursuit of superiority and self-absorbing satisfaction; they did not accept the love offered to them nor did they offer it back. As a result, a world of competition, hatred and bloodshed emerged, which we continue to experience as our daily reality.

God’s love never diminishes, regardless of our rejection of it; God sent His only begotten Son to the world in human form out of love, not to judge people for having gone astray but to save the world through Him (John 3:17). He was born in a humble manger by the Virgin Mary in order to show that might, fame and material riches, in which humankind has sought joy and salvation, are not the true sources of life and happiness. Christ came to Bethlehem to bring again the message of the unconditional love of God for humankind. God has continued to offer this immense love for the two thousand years since Christ’s birth. He came to the world as a weak and innocent infant, filled with love, yet threatened with death by slaughter by Herod. Herod represents a humankind that loathes love even when it is offered through the innocent and peaceful eyes of a child.

Many of today’s people, who erroneously think of God as an unyielding judge, rather than as an affectionate Father who awaits the return of His prodigal son with love and forgiveness, have distanced themselves from the Incarnate God Jesus Christ, the Logos and glory of God the Father, and the consubstantial Holy Spirit; they have broken away from the life-giving and loving Holy Trinity, and thus rendered their world secular, deprived of hope in God and genuine love. They turned to substitutions for divine love, and based their hopes on the expansion of their might in the secular world, on the amassing of more wealth, the subjugation of nations, the global expansion of trade, the promulgation of ideas against God. They disregard, even deny, the reality of death, and turn to anything to alleviate the stresses that come from living without love. Some, unable to find deliverance from despair in these pursuits, are driven to reject the greatest gift of God to humankind, life itself.

Nevertheless, beloved children, the love of God is an undeniable reality. Our Lord Jesus Christ waits to be born in the heart of each of us in order to bring to everyone the meaning of life. This means that He has chosen us to enjoy life in mutual love and to experience the fulfillment of our existence in our relationship with Him, the Incarnate God, and with our fellow human beings and all creation. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love” (Eph. 1, 3:4).

Love is the equivalent of the foundation and the roof of a building, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega of creation. The mysteries of the manger and the Birth, the Cross, the Resurrection, the Ascension and the continuing presence of Christ on earth, in general, point to love. The hymn of the angels that is chanted during the Nativity service, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, good will among men” (Luke 2: 14) is an expression of the admiration angels felt when they realized the inconceivable love of God. Christ tolerated his crucifixion among outlaws not out of weakness, which is a quality unbefitting an omnipotent God; He tolerated it out of His love. All God’s actions are filled with love for every single person.

Let us, then, beloved children abandon the course that leads to secularism and let us return to our Father God in repentance; let us return to Jesus Christ who was born as our brother, who came to our world out of love for us who had been deceived and had distanced ourselves from Him. His love for us is a fact. In His presence there is no fear but forgiveness, peace and joy.

May the grace, blessing and abundant mercy of God be with you all during the Nativity season and throughout your lives, unto the ages of ages.

Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.- Matthew 2.11

To the Beloved Clergy and Faithful of this God-Saved Diocese:

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Christos RaÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¾dajetsja! Slavite Jeho!

Dear Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers, Clergy and Faithful:

Today, we have followed the Shepherds under the wings of Angels. Today, we have seen the Star, and we have traveled with the Wise Men. Today, we have searched in the habitations of the City, and we have found the Family of God in a Cave.

The Prince of Heaven, the Son of God, has embraced human nature in the roots of the earth, amidst the common beasts of the field. Born of God the Father to the young Virgin Mary, and fostered by the elderly and righteous Joseph, Jesus Christ shines with royal majesty — not from a palace, but from a place occupied by the likes of you and me.

There was nothing sentimental about the images of the stable, the beasts and the manger. There was nothing noble about the shepherds. The people who first heard the second chapter of St. Luke in the Roman Empire would have goggled at the idea of royalty stooping so very low.

But that is the very wonder of it all. The Gospel proclaims that in fact, God did stoop so low. Contrary to the sensibilities of high-born rulers and well-heeled merchants, the Son of God became the Son of Man in the middle of life and in the shadows of the earth.

The Christ Child was hidden from the ones who thought that authority lay in the might of armies, and that riches were counted out in pieces of gold. But for those who were convinced that riches and power lay rightly in the Divinity of infinite beauty and peace, the Nativity of Christ was not hidden at all.

Indeed, the Mystery of the Incarnation was unveiled by the shining of a new Star, and the rapturous song of the Angels.

So the Magi who were truly wise recognized the star for what it was, and they traveled the long pilgrimage of adoration. They arrived in the tranquility of starlight, and knelt before the Virgin Theotokos and the Child Christ — the Second Adam, the True King of all Creation, Who would finally set things aright.

They brought with them frankincense, along with gold and myrrh. It was frankincense that was the truly wise recognition of divinity. Incense is never given as a birthday gift. Such a gift is appropriate only for One Who is divine, for the Son of Man Who is the Son of God.

For hundreds of years, if not thousands, before the Birth of Christ, frankincense was the aroma of divine royalty. It was used in the Tabernacle of the wilderness, and in the Temple on Mount Zion. The Hebrew priests of the Old Covenant offered incense, in deep mysteries of the Temple, in prayer for forgiveness and mercy.

And, it turns out, they offered frankincense in the Temple as a prayer of expectation. When the priest and the people prayed in Jerusalem, they recognized that things could not remain as they were. They knew that their religion was but a preparation for a fulfillment to come. Something was wrong with the universe, and with the heart of man. Adam had broken the entire world with sin, and death had polluted life to its very base.

It was clear, in the Old Covenant of the Jews, that there had to come a Second Adam Who would be the Suffering Servant of the human race, Who would fulfill all sacrifice as the Lamb that was slain, Who would be the Son of Man, the Anointed One, Christ of the Ages, the Ancient of Days.

So the frankincense of expectation rose as perfumed smoke to the sky, calling in faith to the God of love, hoping that the Creator would not forsake His works to the despair of sin. King Solomon understood this deep association between incense and longing in the Song of Songs: Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will approach the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense (Song of Songs 4.6).

And so they waited — people, priest and king — in the Temple of Jerusalem, which was called the “mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.” For hundreds of years they waited “until the day breathes and the shadows flee.”

The day breathed at the shining of the Daystar. The shadows fled at the brilliance of the Sun of Truth, at the choral shout of “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth!”

For on that day, the God of love so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son.

Who would have thought that this God of love was love precisely because He is Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

Who would have ever anticipated that the Son of Man would turn out to be God the Son?

Who could have considered that the Lamb that was slain for the sins of the world would be revealed as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Who swallowed up death by death by the ineffable roar of love — a roaring Word of exaltation that smashed the bronze gates of darkness, a Word that continues to resonate in every corner of the universe and in every heart of man?

Who could have known that this Child Christ, born in a Manger, would be the very Jesus Son of God, Who would sit in splendor on the Judgment Throne at the Last Day, in the dread Tribunal when Christ “fills all in all”?

In the aroma of frankincense, in the incense of humble expectation and hopeful prayer, the Wise Men knew this Child to be the Son of God.

And in that hushed moment, when all of heaven stopped to accompany the adoration of the Magi, the meaning of frankincense was changed forever.

When once it was the hopeful yearning for an unknown future, now it means the glad certainty of Christ Whom we have met, Jesus with Whom we have communed, Who will one day come back to rescue and renew that which is His own.

When once it was the recognition of a royalty so far removed, now it means the intimate relationship with Christ Who has intermingled His fully divine nature with His fully human nature.

When once it was the ritual for Divine distance and difference, now it is the loving prayer of belief, obedience and thanksgiving.

Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense, King David sang (Psalm 141.2), and we all join his words in Vespers, And let the lifting up of my hands be a sacrifice!

In the mystical fragrance of frankincense, let us recognize our King and our God. In this aromatic gift of the Magi, let us answer the invitation of the Holy Trinity. Let us, by prayer and deed, become the aroma of incense in this perishing world. Let us offer the incense of thanksgiving and devotion, for we serve the King of All, and we adore the Child of Bethlehem, the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

The Serbian Orthodox Church to her spiritual children at Christmas, 2005

P A V L E

By the grace of God

Orthodox Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch, with the Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church - to all the clergy, monastics, and all the sons and daughters of our Holy Church: grace, mercy and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, with the joyous Christmas greeting:

PEACE FROM GOD - CHRIST IS BORN!

ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦ Today a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). — God is revealed in the flesh (I Tim. 3:16). — The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory (John 1:14). ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦To present to you the word of God in its fullness, the mystery of that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saintsÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:25-27).

Today’s holy and great Feast of the Lord, the Feast of the Nativity or Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, is, brothers and sisters, our dear spiritual children, the day in which the Holy Church announces the good news of great joy that will be for all the people of God (Luke 2:10-11). On this day, more than twenty centuries ago, in the City of David called Bethlehem, an unusual Event transpired, unique in the history of the human race: the Savior of world and mankind, the very Peace of God among us, our God-sent and God-given Peace (cf. Eph. 2:14), as a Divine Youth — a Child, a newborn infant, and in the same, o wonder above wonders, the Pre-Eternal God — He who lay in a poor cave, in a manger, and not in the comfortable crib of a palace or mansion. Indeed, there is no greater humility or condescension, than that which the All-powerful Lord shown at the Birth of Christ and, later, at His Crucifixion!

The essence of the Nativity celebration consists in the Good News that God was born out of love as a Man in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that He might regenerate all peoples and all of His creation, deify them by Grace and eternalize them in His Church, which already here and now reveals the future Kingdom of God as the eternal community of love and the realization in love permeating between God and men, as well as among men themselves. The reality of our rebirth or birth from above, birth by the Holy Spirit, in the Mystery of Holy Baptism and thereafter in the entire grace-given life of spiritual efforts in the Church, with its culmination and fullness in the Divine Liturgy, would not have been granted to us had not the Pre-Eternal Son and Logos of God, One in the Holy Trinity, been born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary within the framework of historical reality. The birth in time of the Eternal and Timeless Lord made it possible for us the created ones, born of earth, by our being passing, to be elevated equal to eternity, outside of time and passing. In the person of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God who became on Christmas Day the Son of Man so that we the sons of men and daughters of men, might become in His Church the children of God, brothers and sisters among ourselves.

Precisely therein consists the Christmas invitation of God to us men. With our grateful and conciliar response to the gift of His love, to the gift of life and salvation in Him, even our human calling and intention are realized, our new, Christian way of existence. In Him from the beginning was, is and will be the true life, the only life worthy to be called the light of men (cf. John 1:4). Christ as the Life is in verity “the true light that gives light to every man” (John 1:9), a Great Light that by His Birth has dawned upon people living in the land of the shadow of death (Matt. 4:16), the Light of Salvation to enlighten the Gentiles (Luke 2:30-32). Let us take note, therefore, that the Holy Evangelists rightfully describe the Event of Christ’s Birth and His manifestation to the world as a miraculous phenomenon of light. This we see even in the works of the Holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church, as well as in the wonderful liturgical hymns of the Nativity. We will cite only a few examples: St. John of Damascus in his Christmas homily states: “Today is born the Only-begotten Son of God, the Radiance of His Glory.” In the Christmas troparion the Holy Orthodox Church exclaims: “Your Nativity, O Christ our God, has revealed to the world the light of wisdomÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦” Similarly in another verse the ecclesial poet sings: “You have shinned forth from the Virgin, O Christ, as the spiritual Sun of RighteousnessÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦”, and yet in another even more expressively: “We have been radiated by light, O Christ our God, with Your Arrival. As Light of Light, as the faithful Reflection of the Father, You have enlightened all creationÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦ You who have radiated forth from the Virgin, O God, have mercy on us.”

This Divinely-inspired poetry as a sign of Light is not at all coincidental. It reveals to us the wonderful mystery of Christmas: In Jesus Christ, the Lord saves us (the name Jesus even means that!), granting us, as the Orient from on High and the Sun of Righteousness, the light of wisdom and eternal Divine-Human life. Of that He Himself speaks: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). In a word, the Christmas Event reveals to the world that eternal glory, which otherwise belongs only to God on High and appears as peace on earth, and good will among men, such as the angels of God sang on the night of Christ’s Birth and as we sing every year at Christmas.

The newborn Christ was a Small Child, and at the same time the Pre-Eternal God, as is noted in a Christmas liturgical hymn. Were He not the God-Man, He would neither be the Savior nor Restorer of all and everything. This we especially emphasize so that we may turn your attention to all of the threatening operations of old and new sects, occult groups and para-religious movements, whose self-proclaimed preachers and missionaries, at times openly, and sometimes veiled, denounce this fundamental Good News of the Church. As Orthodox Christians, we respect everyone’s conscience and freedom, we show good will and feel love even towards those who inhibit our holy faith, that was once for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 3), however we are at the same time spiritually awake and as the pupil of our eye protect the sanctity and glory of God, protect the salvific fullness of the faith, which was preached by the apostles, the Holy Fathers, martyrs, confessors, the Councils of the Church, and by which throughout the ages lived — and for which, when necessary died — our honorable ancestors.

However, our faithfulness to the Gospel of Christ does not mean that we close our eyes before all of that which is in truth human, authentic or worthy even in that part of humanity, which is found outside the canonical borders of the Church, and also outside the domain of its missionary preaching. For, as the holy Bishop Nicholai convinces us, nothing exists that is holy, good, beautiful or truthful, — wherever we encounter it, be it even partially, —and that to a certain extent does not maintain the Divine-Human image of the Only Holy, Good and Philanthropic, Wonderful in His saints, Witness of the Faithful and True, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Whoever lives according to their conscience does good, witnesses to truth, defends righteousness and furthers love, has received these gifts from Christ and returns them to Him. In light of this understanding, let us look, our dear spiritual children, at the challenges and temptations of our time and all of us in it! Let us remain therefore in the faith, let us breathe with the lungs of hope and be inspired by love, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the Only God!

For us is there any greater challenge or more difficult testing of our faith and conscience than the painful question of Kosovo and Metohija? Indeed, there is not! However, our Holy Assembly of Bishops clearly and honorably recently formulated the position of the Church concerning the same. Here we will only call to mind the fact that no one has the right to unilaterally change the state-legal status of our southern region, without the consensus of all the peoples who live in Serbia, and also, therefore, the Serbian people. What then is to be said of the possibility of some kind of “negotiation process” accompanied by force? Life, peace, freedom, equal opportunities, and equal rights for all, the preservation of Serbian Orthodox sanctuaries, the uninhibited return of expellees and refugees, the absolute respecting of European values and international order, and before all, the Charter of the United Nations (which, as far as we know, no one has yet declared invalid)ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦ — all of these are only certain elements and “standards” on the path to truthful resolution, wherein all will gain, and no one will suffer loss. Something else, which is important and essential: final status does not exist here on earth, not for anyone or anything, and someone’s comparison of the alleged birth of a new nationhood for Kosovo and Metohija to the Birth of Christ is not a phrase in the service of Albanian national fetishism, rather really and truly blasphemy.

We invite all of you, brothers and sisters, that by your warm prayers to God and by appealing to the conscience of members of organizations concerned with human rights, you will contribute towards the God-pleasing expedient release of the imprisoned Archbishop of Ochrid, His Beatitude Kyr Jovan, so that the clergy and faithful people of the Archdiocese of Ochrid, an autonomous Church under the wings of our Patriarchate, will expediently win in their battle for freedom of faith and conscience, to stop the last of religious persecution in Europe with its epicenter in Skoplje and that the Christmas light of salvation and understanding of truth will enlighten the mind and soul of the bearers of the destructive ecclesiastical schism in the Republic of Macedonia, so that heaven and earth may rejoice in the unity of Orthodox faithful.

The Serbian people in the Serb Republic (Republika Srpska) and throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, are also exposed to bitter temptations, we invite them to endurance in the faith and on the path of good and humanity, and all of the peoples and communities there to reconciliation, mutual forgiveness and common efforts towards a future. We invite the state authorities of Croatia that, in the name of their European perspective, they secure the return of the expelled and refugee Serbs, and for the returnees a peaceful life and security. In like manner, we invite them to extend legal protection to the clergy, the faithful and the temples of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which are once again exposed to threats and attacks, especially in Dalmatia.

We will repeat even on today’s Feast the invitation to Orthodox Christians and all peoples of good will in Montenegro for brotherly unity and for togetherness as among themselves so also with everyone, alongside another reminder of the fact that salvation is neither found in national nor state separation nor in partisan ideologies but rather in the spirit of conciliar unity and in an authentic global civilization of love, whose source is precisely the Church of Christ. This invitation for togetherness and unity concerns, of course, all of our faithful people, wherever they may live. Especially, we turn to our spiritual children that live in various lands throughout the world, with a plea that they preserve their faith and their identity and that everywhere and always they be of assistance to their Church and their people, especially in this difficult time.

One of the honorary names of the Newborn Lord Christ was also the name Emmanuel. This means God is with us (Matt. 1:23). Indeed, brothers and sisters, on Christmas with all of our being we know and feel that God is with us! He is with us on Christmas; He is with us forever and ever! Let us be also with Him, forever and ever! All of us are in need of true repentance, cleansing, turning to the God of our fathers, spiritual renewal, moral rebirthÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦If all of that is excluded, sadly, we will not have a future, neither in the times which follow nor in the eternity of the Kingdom of God. Only a life in Christ and in the grace of the Holy Spirit represent an alternative to immorality, disfiguration, drugs, corruption, criminality, the white plague or the sin of abortion, all that is sin and that brings death, spiritually and physically. But despite all that comes upon us from men, more often from ourselves, because of everything that on Christmas comes from God, let us rejoice and be glad!

With prayerful wishes that the Lord will grant everyone a better and more prosperous New Year than the one past, we invoke upon all of you His blessings and His love, greeting you on this Feast Day with the joyous Christmas felicitation:

Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana JOVANMetropolitan of Montenegro and the Coastlands AMPHILOHIJEMetropolitan of Midwestern America CHRISTOPHERMetropolitan of Dabro-Bosna NIKOLAJ

Bishop of Shabac-Valjevo LAVRENTIJEBishop of Nish IRINEJBishop of Zvornik-Tuzla VASILIJEBishop of Srem VASILIJEBishop of Banja Luka JEFREMBishop of Budim LUKIJANBishop of Canada GEORGIJEBishop of Banat NIKANORBishop for America and Canada (New Gracanica Metropolitanate) LONGINBishop of Eastern America MITROPHANBishop of Zica CHRYSOSTOMBishop of Backa IRINEJBishop of Great Britain and Scandinavia DOSITEJBishop of Ras and Prizren ARTEMIJERetired Bishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina ATANASIJEBishop of Bihac and Petrovac CHRYSOSTOMBishop of Osijek and Baranja LUKIJANBishop of Central Europe CONSTANTINEBishop of Western Europe LUKABishop of Timok JUSTINBishop of Vranje PAHOMIJEBishop of Sumadija JOVANBishop of Slavonia SAVABishop of Branicevo IGNATIJEBishop of Milesevo FILARETBishop of Dalmatia FOTIJEBishop of Budimlje and Niksic JOANIKIJEBishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina GRIGORIJE Bishop of Australia and New Zealand (New Gracanica Metropolitanate) MILUTINBishop of Gornji Karlovci GERASIMVicar Bishop of Hvostno ATANASIJEVicar Bishop of Jegar PORFIRIJEVicar Bishop of Lipljan TEODOSIJEVicar Bishop of Dioclea JOVANVicar Bishop of Hum MAKSIM

The Orthodox Archdiocese of OchridArchbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skoplje JOVANBishop of Polos and Kumanovo JOAKIMVicar Bishop of Dremvic and locum tenens of the Diocese of Bitolj MARKO

ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Let us glorify and thank God the Father for He, in His great mercy, ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š “sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š (Galatians 4:4-5)

Dearly beloved Clergy and Faithful of our Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church beyond the borders of Ukraine and BrothersÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š and Sisters of the Faith in Ukraine,

ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š The world today, just as it was at the time of the Nativity of our Lord and Sa-vior, Jesus Christ, is in so many waysÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š enveloped in sorrow and gloom.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š This is because of the ravages of evil, the culture of death in our society, man’s inhumanÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š treatment of fellow man and the consequences of natural disasters.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Just as our Lord came as the innocent child over two ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š thousand years ago, however, He comes to us again in modern times bringing us salvation.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š God takes on our humanity so that ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š we can be elevated to the divine, so that we can have life, peace and hope.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Had he not come, we would have no cause forÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š celebration at any time.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š

ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Because He came, we can now comprehend the compassion, the concern, the LOVE of God for all mankind and His ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š desire to bring about our salvation.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š The Only-begotten Son is the center and cornerstone of all human and divine history and we ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š celebrate His Incarnation not only on 25 December/7 January, but in all seasons, at all times and in all occasions.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š We celebrate itÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š in the ways we share the LOVE.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š We celebrate the Incarnation in the ways we are willing to empty ourselves of pride and vanity ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š enabling us to abandon our judgment and condemnation of our neighbor.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š We celebrate the Incarnation when we become Christ ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š in the lives of others — expressing our concern and compassion for them regardless of their life circumstances.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š We celebrate the ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Incarnation when we cease resisting the gift of His Grace.

ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š No one has ever exceeded the Evangelist John (the Beloved One) in his powerful description of the ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Incarnation/Nativity — the miracle of “God Eternal” (Boh Predvichnyj) who comes to us and reveals Himself to us in the Person of a ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š tiny, vulnerable human Child. “In Him was life and the life was the Light of men” (John 1:4). John is telling us that in and through ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š our Lord Jesus, God has made it possible for us to experience His Power and Love in the depths of our existence so that we may ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š have fullness of life and the ability to share that fulness. We should notice, however, the unexpected turn John makes in the ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š middle of his description! Turning from this description of Grace and Light and Life, John suddenly says, ‘To His own He came, yet ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š His own did not accept Him” (John 1:11). Then just as suddenly, he returns once again to the scheme of Grace, saying, “And we ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š have seen His glory. The glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love” (John 1:14). John is emphasizing ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š the miracle of the persistence of God’s Grace. In spite of the rejection, in spite of the resistance, He keeps coming, He keeps ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š returning, He keeps trying to break through to offer us His love. And, as the Evangelist says, those who finally say “Yes,” — those ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š who receive Him — “He empowers to become the children of God” (John 1:12). No more beautiful or important Christmas story ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š has ever been written.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Nor more powerful example can be provided for our own lives.

ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Let us no longer resist the Grace, the Light and the Life.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Let us boldy share it with an increasingly secularized society.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Let us persist in our efforts to end war, in our efforts to proclaim the sanctity of all life — especially that of the innocent unborn, in ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š our efforts to live in Christ’s LOVE.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š might be saved through him.”ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š (John 3:16-17)ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Believe it!

ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š As a result of the events, which unfolded in Ukraine one year ago, this season of miracles will forever be associated with ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š the miracle of peace and love that unfolded before the eyes of the world in the sub-freezing streets of Kyiv during the Orange ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š Revolution.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š May the faithful of the Church in Ukraine — our brothers and sisters in Faith and by blood for the majority of our ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š faithful in the Diaspora — along with their leaders, political and spiritual, open themselves to the Grace, which unites all and heals ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š all.ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š They and you are in our continued prayers.

ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š We greet you all during this Holy, Holy Season and pray that all the LOVE, Peace and Joy of the Christ-Child will fill your ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š homes and lives throughout the coming new year.

Nativity Epistle of Metropolitan Laurus, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Remembering on this Christmas night the greatest event in the history of mankind—the incarnation of God— we sing along with the whole Church: "As God of peace and Father of compassions, Thou didst send to us Thine Angel of great Counsel, Who granteth us peace" (Irmos of Ode V of Canon I of the Nativity).

On this day, God the Father sent to earth His own Son, "Who granteth us Peace", to reconcile men with God, to unite the sundered powers of the human soul, and to reconcile us with one another. Exulting in the deliverance of men, the angels joyously chanted: "Glory to God in the highest! On earth peace, goodwill among men!"

Two thousand years have passed since the incarnation of God, and all throughout this time mankind has refused to receive peace on earth, staining its own history with cruel inhumanity.

To this point, divisions, wars and malice surround us, and there is scant room for peace in the life of men. Why is this? The Lord says: "My peace I give you. Not that peace which the world giveth." We know that the world lies in evil, and that this will hold true until the Second Coming. The Lord was speaking about inner peace, and not external peace. Even if we live in an unstable, outward peace with our neighbors, attempting to maintain if only the peace which the world gives, we often fail to find peace of soul within ourselves.

Man receives true peace only in preserving his own conscience, in oneness with God, when he truly begins to live in Christ. The Lord brought this peace to earth, and when we find it we ourselves are saved and, in the words of Saint Seraphim, many are saved around us.

In us the Church prays: "Grant peace to me who am fallen!" The first step toward peace of soul is an awareness of our own fallen state. When we begin to see our own ugly nakedness of soul, then does the Lord draw near unto us, and with His loving hand cleans out the cave of our soul, no matter how poor it is. He fills us with His peace, and makes us prepared to worthily receive Him.

For this He became incarnate and was born in the cave of Bethlehem, for this He prayed in His own high priestly prayer: "That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us" (Jn. 17:21).

Unity is from God; division is from the devil. The tactic of the one who hates mankind is ancient: to rule, divide and conquer. And the root of all divisions lies in our passions: pride, self-love, envy, lack of faith—with these the devil stirs up misunderstanding and enmity among men. The Lord calls upon us to uproot within ourselves the passions which separate us and to go unto Him by preserving our conscience and peace of soul.

At this time, we are confronted by a fateful event: in May, the All-Diaspora Council will convene, at which the process of the reconciliation of the Church of Russia will be deliberated upon in council in the person of our chosen representatives.

During the days leading up to this Council we must preserve with great care our peace of soul, lest passionate emotions, enmity and disputations extinguish it. For this we should apply ourselves all the more diligently to prayer, attending church more frequently, resorting to the Holy Mysteries more often.

Only in the Church can we find peace of soul, in the grace of God imparted to us abundantly in His Mysteries. Addressing himself to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul said: "I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph. 4: 1-6).

And so, following the advice of the Apostle, we must also maintain the "unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," and seek that which is of God, and not of mankind. And if we will act in accordance with the will of God, His peace will not abandon us.

In our limited perception of the judgments of God there is little room for the sober view: we see only a small part of the general picture, and that through the distorted lens of our own passions. But the omniscient God knows what is more salvific for the children of His Church: His Holy Body. Therefore, let us purify our minds and heart from passionate and vain philosophizing, and with peace in our souls let us ask the Lord to grant us understanding.

May the King of peace grant peace to our souls!

Beloved archpastors and pastors, brethren and sisters, with my whole heart I greet you all with the feast of the Nativity of Christ! Amen.

Yet again the good Lord has seen fit to bring us to the day when the One Holy and Apostolic Church celebrates the Nativity of our Lord and our Savior, our Heavenly King, Jesus Christ. Yet again we marvel that He came among us in the form of a Babe, born of the Ever-Virgin, and that He chose the most humble of circumstances for His incarnation.

In performing such a great miracle, why did God choose such a humble place to be born, in a remote province of a mighty empire that, in Christian terms, was largely godless and given over to hedonism? Why did God not rather choose for His Son to be born in a King’s house, among the powerful and wealthy of this world? Because, had God so chosen, inevitably people would say that the mighty and powerful of this world, its kings and rulers, and its wealthy, were God’s true chosen people, whereas the humble and the struggling poor would have no place in the Kingdom of God.

So God, who out of His inexpressible love for all humanity, chose to be born among the poor, the persecuted, the scorned; to be greeted not only by angels on high or by royal Wise Men traveling from afar, but by shepherds and even by farm animals. At the time, shepherds represented the humblest of all callings, for they were the least skilled, and consequently the least prosperous of all the working people. We might, indeed, looking upon those who do such work here today, remember that it was to such as these that the glorious coming of our Lord first revealed by Angels, by Kings, by Wise Men — and by the Mother of God, Herself.

When Jesus came to teach, He chose fishermen and even humbler outcasts for His first disciples. And when He taught, He often compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a Vineyard, and God Himself to the Master of the Vineyard. At the Last Supper, Jesus Christ referred to Himself as The True Vine. We, who live in an age that looks down upon mere agriculture (even though we rely on it to survive) as the lot of those who know little of wealth and power, should think harder about the meaning of our Lord’s reference to the Vine. Here, in California, we can see for ourselves what agricultural experts have always known: the growing of grapes is by far the most difficult, intricate, demanding and risky of all forms of farming. The grapevine — this symbol our Lord chose to represent Himself, His own Person — flourishes in difficult soil, and reveals its extraordinary strength only through the most determined care. In ancient times, it was even more important than it is today, because it was one of the most vital forms of treating all kinds of diseases and injuries. Let us reflect on this truth, therefore: that God acts in this world, according to our Lord Jesus Christ, literally as a master vintner, that He tends our lives with care, that He is active and omnipresent, not indifferent or distant. When our lives are hard, we must remember that the grape flourishes in hardship, and that the Church, in the expert care of our Lord, will come to no harm, but only yield better wine, if we but patiently endure. Therefore, let us all with fearless faith daily greet our Master, God, with the same cooperation and acceptance of His Divine Judgement that the humble grapevine exhibits under the hands of the vintner who planted it. Let us object less, accept more, and above all else trust God.